Cendrillon
by Twilight-Traveler
Summary: She had one mission: Kill the Crimson Alchemist. Meanwhile, she'd pass her time with the lovely, amber-eyed gentleman who caught her eye. Minor adult themes near end.


_A whispering voice orders me to search for your unfamiliar face,_

_and then with the blade gripped in my hand, to snatch everything from you._

_In this castle where orphans gather, I'm a seraph who,_

_with a smile sketched onto my mask, embrace everything with my wings, even deceitful love._

_Cendrillon—Vocaloid_

Mia stood straight and tall in the dark room. She heard footsteps behind her, but she didn't turn. "Who's the target this time?" she said slowly.

"His name," the man behind her said, voice a harsh whisper, "is Zolf J. Kimblee."

"What does he do?"

"He's a State Alchemist of Amestris."

Mia bit her lip. Were they aiming that high up now?

"Something wrong?"

A million questions welled up in her throat, but she suppressed them. "Where am I going?"

The man pressed a knife into her hand as well as a folded sheet of paper. "There's a masquerade ball at Central for you to hide in."

"What's the target look like?"

"Cold gold eyes and long greasy black hair. He has an air about him that you should pick up immediately. He is a serial killer. Under orders from the Führer, of course. Except for the fact when he killed his own superiors."

"Of course." Mia said sarcastically before she could help herself.

The room was silent, and Mia was afraid the man would put a gun to her head for insubordination. "Don't mess this up, Mia." The man was gone and light filled the room.

Mia looked at the ornate dagger in her hand. Fancy. Too bad blood would get all over it.

* * *

"Wait, repeat to me again who you're murdering?"

"It's not murder, Seth, it's assassination. There's a difference."

"Just the wording, really." Seth tapped his fingers against the doorframe. "You've been there for over an hour."

"Did you see the dress?"

"No. I'm not even supposed to be living here." Seth absently cleaned his glasses. "Or existing, for that matter."

"Yeah…" Mia bit her lip. It was risky keeping her brother here while he knew of her job. Normally, only two people knew of an assassin's true identity. The one who assigned all the missions, and the assassin. Occasionally, there was a brief third person who figured it out before their throat was slit, though there never was a permanent third person. "Alright. My hair is done in a corkscrew," Mia said, showing Seth why she was taking so long, "and the monster of a dress is on."

"Yeah?" Seth was already distracted, thinking about one of the movies he saw recently.

"So this is why I was taking so long."

"Yeah?" Seth wondered if the new cowboy movie was going to be good.

"So this is why I'm taking so long?"

"Alright then. Anything else?"

"So don't laugh at me."

"I won't."

Mia stepped out of the room. Her hair was smooth around her face and tied back in a ponytail, her long hair curling down to below her shoulder. The top of the dress was very nice. It was tight around her chest, black except for a stripe of red down her middle. Black sleeves with a bit of lace rested off her shoulders, having no purpose as the tightness of the dress kept it attached to her.

The bottom of the dress, however, was not as smooth as the top portion. It bagged out dramatically, part of the dress slit open in the front to reveal bright red ruffles. She attempted to smooth out the ruffles with no avail. "I could hide a sword in here…"

"You could smuggle a friggen tank in!" Seth said, hand covering his mouth.

"You said you wouldn't laugh…"

"I—I'm not la-laughing!"

"Bastard…" she said and walked down the stairs.

"No—wait, I'm sorry. Come on, give me a hug!"

"No."

"Hug."

"No."

"Hug."

"Go to hell."

"Hug."

"Fine." Mia wrapped her arms around him.

"Love you."

"Love you too."

"Nice pink gloves."

She punched his shoulder and put on the butterfly mask. "Bastard. Be of some use and zip me up."

He sighed. "Fine." He zipped up her dress. "Be careful, Mia."

"I always am careful. I'm one of the best."

While in the tinted car, she took a moment to remove the mask and inspect it. It was nice, with light red butterfly wings sides of the mask. A small silver flower rested there, pinning a small trail of black ribbon to the mask. The area around her eyes were so stylized that it looked like extending eyelashes. Small black beads traced the outside of mask.

She felt the small tuff of pink fabric at her hip, three roses resting on top of it. Underneath it, her knife was hidden. No one would look there. She patted the flowers comfortingly as her car pulled up to the building where the masquerade was taking place. She dabbed her gloved fingers against her lip, stood up, and headed into the building. She handed her invitation to a guard and calmly walked in.

Now, all she could do was wait, watching the crowd with trained eyes. How hard could a State Alchemist be to spot? An hour passed. Mia avoided the alcohol and denied almost all request for dances, only accepting a couple of dances from attractive men as an excuse to get across the room. She took the moments of people watching to plan things out. She'd flirt with the Alchemist, dance with him, slowly get more aggressive with him while keeping a delicate balance with aggression and submission. Then, she'd lead him outside to the balcony or to a private room and stab him firmly in the back and listen to the sweet sound as air whistled out of his lungs.

It was a good job.

She scanned the crowd, looking for a man who seemed like her target. "Excuse me?" a voice said behind her. She turned. A tall man with magnificent amber eyes and long black hair stood in front of her.

"Yes?" she said, eyes darting up and down him. He was thin, his black jacket clinging to his chest. The cuffs were large, tucked back and held with a large gold pin. She noticed that, similar to her dress, there was a large stripe of red down the middle. She noticed it with much interest for some reason. His pants were black and slightly baggy, tucked into gaudy red boots. His mask was modeled like bird wings, a beak covering his nose. His hands were clasped behind his back, staring down at her.

"Forgive me for interrupting me, but I have been watching you for a while, and I was quite curious."

Mia fought the urge to feel for her knife, scooting away from him. Her eyes glinted with mistrust as she turned her body to the side, staring at him over her shoulder. "Really?"

He blinked and then chuckled, waving his hand. "I'm sorry, that sounded more inappropriate than I hoped. See, I find these events horribly boring. I am not one to socialize with others. And so, I take it upon my self to crowd watch. It's amazing what sort of things one sees. Well, I noticed you. You've been pursued by much of the men and denied nearly all of them except for a lucky few, only because they were persistent."

"Your point being?"

"You've been watching this crowd earnestly. Might I presume you have a boyfriend you're waiting for?"

Mia stared at him, interested more. He was quite attractive…"No. Don't have a boyfriend."

"Ah, so you're free. Champagne?" the man asked, taking two glasses from a waiter.

She smiled and shook her hand. "I don't drink." Especially not on missions.

"It's a party; I'm sure you can afford to relax."

She looked into his amber eyes. "Maybe for a moment." Mia said, taking the drink. She took a small sip, feeling the warmth slip down her throat. She took a slightly bigger gulp, small tentacles of fog creeping into her head. "It's not horrible." She said, clearing her throat.

"You don't drink, I presume."

She shook her head one too many times. "No." Damn, alcohol affected her well. Already, her mind was scattered, not thinking the things it should.

"Might I ask more about you?"

She should say no. She should stop listening to him and his voice that sounded like velvet. She should look for her target. "Yes."

"You're Xingese in blood, I presume."

"Yes, how could you tell?"

"Your eyes are half closed, much like my own."

Mia stared at his eyes, the lovely amber color hidden behind his eyes, half closed as if he was sleepy, though his eyes were bright with attention. "You're right, they are half closed." She took another sip of her champagne.

He smirked a bit. "Though your accent…it isn't from Xing nor from Amestris…Are you from Aerugo?"

Mia froze. Did he figure out—"My parents immigrated there. I was born and raised in Aerugo before we left. Political reasons." It was true, but that political reason was because she was trained as an assassin there and was part of a group to overthrow the Führer. She absently stared at the champagne, swirling the liquid around in her glass.

"Something wrong, miss?"

She shook her head. "Nothing." She drank the rest of the champagne. "Ah, much better…"

He smirked. "Alcohol really does loosen all of your nerves, doesn't it?"

If Mia had been coherent, she would've noted the darkness that lurked behind the smirk. However, alcohol had dulled some of her senses, and the smirk passed by without her noticing. He took the glass from her fingers. "May I have a dance?"

She was about to nod, but stopped herself. "Sorry, I'm looking for someone."

"You are?"

"Yes."

"But you just told me that you weren't looking for anyone."

"I said I didn't have a boyfriend, not that I wasn't looking for someone."

"True. Who is it?"

"A man."

"A man? You'll have to be more specific."

"It's none of your business." Mia said, placing a finger to her lip. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"You'll never get across the room that way." He said.

"Hmm?"

"You glanced across the room to the other side, looking for a better angle and a way to get away from me and my probing questions."

Mia narrowed her eyes. "You enjoy watching my every move?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps, but I also majored in psychology. The crowd is too thick, only moving enough for a couple to slip by."

"Ah, so this is an elaborate attempt to dance with me."

"Yes." He smiled at her.

Mia let her guard down. It would be nice to have a dance. "Alright." She held out her hand and he took it, leading her out onto the dance floor. She put a hand on his shoulder while his hand rested on her hip. They slowly danced to the music, keeping the steps simple. Mia couldn't help smiling a bit as she stared up at the man in front of her. This was different. She felt like a girl. When you were an assassin, you couldn't afford to act like a girl. To do the normal girl things—flinch when something comes near, squeal, wear makeup, etc.—was unacceptable. Mia never felt like this, being hugged, held close by another man, smiling and giggling. She could get used to this.

Gradually, they increased the moves, dancing across the room, adding some more complicated steps, though never breaking the contact between them. She smiled and laughed a bit, earning a chuckle out of the man. Then, she noticed something. The time. She was running out of time. She had a job to do. She couldn't be distracted by someone like him. The man broke contact and allowed her to spin away. Mia lifted her hand away from his and took a step back. The man simply looked at her, staring with his glowing amber eyes. She stared back and grabbed his hand, spinning back into his chest.

The man smiled. "I thought you were going to leave me for a second there."

"So did I."

The music ended and the men parted from their partners and bowed.

"Is this where we leave?" Mia asked.

The man looked in her eyes. There was a dim light in her eyes. Sadness at the thought of leaving him. He smirked a bit. Almost too easy, really. "Wait until this song's over, and maybe we'll meet up on the balcony." The man turned and left.

She shouldn't go on the balcony. She shouldn't pressure the man. She should find her target. But she felt like a girl. She liked the feeling of his hand on her waist, of being led, of being taken cared of. She could pull her own weight, but having someone take all of that off felt so good…

Next thing she knew, she was on the balcony, staring out to the sky above her. She rested her gloved hands on the balcony and took a couple deep breaths. "Hello, sir." She said as she sensed a presence behind her. She tried not to smile.

"Am I that obvious?" the man said, standing next to her.

"No. I'm just observant."

"It's quite extraordinary, if I may say so."

"I'm a female in this world. I need to be careful of everything."

"How true…"

She glanced at the man. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, not at all…" he held out a hand to her. "Shall we continue our dance?"

She smiled. "Sure."

He placed a hand on her waist as she put one on his shoulder. "You know, I don't know your name, miss."

"It's Mia. And you?"

"I'm Zolf. Zolf Kimblee."

Mia froze and moved away from the man, eyes wide.

"Something wrong?"

It couldn't be him…she couldn't kill him…She liked him. She was a girl around him.

"Mia?"

"Sorry…I was just…"

He held out his arms to her.

She looked at them. She should take her knife and stab him in the chest while he was still so willing. But something stopped her. Those female hormones of hers found this man—no, Kimblee—and latched onto him. She couldn't fight it. She walked into his arms and allowed herself to be hugged.

Kimblee looked down at her. He had noticed the girl when she was dancing. He noticed an air about her that he was drawn to, the air around her. She was smart, brilliant even. She was also attractive and healthy. Her skin shone of youth. He couldn't feel her skin, but he was sure it felt smooth. She was also muscular as well. He loved that in a woman, especially if said woman was going to be a bomb. She would be good…very, very good. He rubbed the bare skin of her shoulders softly. He wanted to feel her skin, feel her shudder under his touch, feel her struggle within his grip, feel her tremble as her body exploded. He couldn't do any of that with his glove.

He slowly pulled on the finger of his glove.

Mia wrapped one arm around him, feeling his warmth. This never should've happened. She let herself get close to another person, to enjoy herself. How could she have known that the person would've been her target? But she had no choice. She slipped a hand behind her back and gripped the knife, slowly pulling it out. She held the knife behind her back, hand shaking. Just stab him. Stab him. She did it many times before. So many times before. Why was this so hard? Why couldn't she hurt him?

Kimblee slipped one glove off and started on the other. Mia had her head turned away, looking away. "Hm?" he breathed into her ear. "Is something wrong?"

She shivered, but didn't look at him. "Nothing's wrong."

"You sure?" he slowly pulled on his glove.

"I'm sure." She gripped the knife tighter.

He removed his glove and pressed his palms against her skin. She shivered slightly at the new touch.

"Another room." Mia said quietly.

"Hmm?" Kimblee glanced at her.

She looked up at him, eyes filled with many emotions. "I said…" she stretched up and breathed in his ear. "Let's get another room."

Kimblee smirked. "Sure." It was much easier to get rid of her this way. He grabbed her wrist and took her to another room. He opened the door for her and locked the door. Mia slowly backed herself into the wall, knife still behind her back. There was no one here. She'd kill him easily, and leave. It would be at least another hour before another couple stumbled into this room, craving a private place. By the time the body was discovered, she'd be long gone, at home with her brother.

Kimblee walked over to her and cupped her face, kissing her deeply. Mia moaned a bit and kissed him back. Wasn't he wearing gloves before? she thought absently as he nibbled her lips. Her eyes snapped open. He was wearing gloves before. He was a State Alchemist, and he needed to have his Transmutation Circles handy. Could they be on his—

Kimblee felt her tense and pull away, clapping his hands. Mia quickly pulled the knife out from behind her back and pressed it against his throat just as his hands were plunging down to her chest. He froze, hands inches away from her chest. "Ah, this is unexpected…"

She glared at him, breath slightly heavy from the kiss. "I don't know much about Alchemy…I don't know much about explosions…I don't know how any of these things work…but I do know that if your hands touch me, I'll die."

"Ah, you're quite observant, Miss Mia. But what is stopping me from placing my hands against your chest and killing you right now?"

"The force of the explosion will drive the knife into your throat. You'll be dead before you can crack a smile."

"And what will you do, Miss Mia? Go ahead and slit my throat. I'll fall forward into you. You're cornered against the wall. You'll be dead before you can celebrate my death."

"So it's a stalemate."

"That it is." He swallowed a bit, Adam's apple pressing against the knife. "So what's with this sudden change of attitude? I thought it was going quite well."

Mia tightened her grip on the knife. "I could say the same."

"Ah, it was just a ploy. You seemed like such a smart, strong, levelheaded woman. I thought it would be enjoyable to kill you. Bring you down a couple of notches. It's no fun killing someone weak. I wanted a challenge. I seemed to have found one."

Mia laughed a bit. "You definitely picked the wrong girl to fight with."

"I noticed. You seemed very well trained in fighting."

"I'm an assassin."

"Ah. I suppose I'm your target then. I quite honestly am flattered to be a threat to the government of Aerugo. What an honor to be the left hand of the Führer!"

"And you're just killing me…for fun?" Mia said carefully.

"Yes. I don't think I've ever seen you before." Kimblee moved one of his hands, but stopped. He leaned in and took her mask between his teeth, slowly pulling it off her head. Mia let him do it, moving the knife so he didn't cut himself. He looked at her unmasked face. "No, I've never seen you before."

Mia swallowed. She slowly reached her free hand up and pulled the bird mask off his face. He shook his head a bit, pushing his hair back into place. "Pity we had to meet like this…" she muttered, stroking his cheek with her thumb.

Kimblee clenched his fists and unclenched them, breaking the Alchemic bond. Mia slowly pulled the knife away from his throat, resting her hands at her side. She stared into the amber eyes of the man while he stared down at her. She let her knife fall to the ground as she grabbed his face and kissed him. Kimblee only hesitated for a moment before kissing her back, putting more force behind it. She moaned softly and Kimblee did not hesitate to push his tongue into her mouth. Mia moaned as Kimblee flicked and rubbed her tongue, shifting a bit as her emotions tumbled around inside of her. Kimblee eventually pulled away to breath, wiping a bit of saliva off Mia's lip.

"How far are we going?" Kimblee asked.

"As far as you want." Mia said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him.

"You seem pretty eager." Kimblee said between her kisses, smirking.

"Can't—" kiss "—help it—" kiss "—my teenage hormones are raging right now—" a longer kiss "—and it turns out you can turn me on really easily."

Kimblee smirked. "You act like it was hard." He said, pinning her arms against the wall. "You've never really kissed anyone, have you?"

Mia turned her head away in shame. "No…"

Kimblee chuckled. "What fun…every move I make will feel like a jolt of lightening going through you…It'll be too easy…"

Kimblee kissed her, reaching a hand behind her back, fingers trying to find the zipper. He grabbed it and slowly unzipped her, pushing the dress off her shoulders with some difficulty.

"You know, you're supposed to pull the dress over my head." Mia said as he struggled to push the dress down her chest. "It would be easier that way."

"Too hard to find the bottom of it…" Kimblee muttered, exposing her chest. Kimblee smirked. "No bra?"

Mia blushed, shivering as cold air hit her breasts. "I didn't have a strapless bra…I figured it was tight enough to act as a bra…"

Kimblee smirked. "This makes it much easier for me." Kimblee said, his head bowed. He brushed his fingers against her stomach. She tilted her head back and moaned softly, squirming under his touch. While she wasn't looking, he quickly bit his finger, drawing some blood. Mia moved her hands to rest on his head. Kimblee grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head. He kissed her roughly, biting her lips. Mia moaned, smirking widely.

Suddenly, there was some light, and a stone hand gripped her wrists tightly. Mia's eyes snapped open. "What are you doing?" she looked up and saw a bloody transmutation circle on the wall above her. She pulled against the hands, but it did nothing. She looked at Kimblee and saw his eyes flash with an emotion she knew all too well. It was in her eyes when she killed. "What are you going to do to me?"

Kimblee smirked at her and brushed his bloody finger against her lips. "You actually thought that—" Kimblee laughed as Mia struggled to get a firm footing. "Oh, you may be an assassin, but you are hopelessly naïve." He bent down and picked up her knife, pressing the flat of the blade under her chin and forcing it up. "Miss Mia, you are quite the character. I almost regret doing this…" he pushed the knife towards her neck, the point pricking her skin. Her breath hitched, chest heaving. Kimblee examined the knife. "This is quite a nice knife…I wonder how sharp it is…" he moved the knife down to her chest and cut a small horizontal line over her heart. Mia's breath caught in her throat. "Ooh, that's nice…" he cut a diagonal line, than another horizontal line. "Stop taking so many deep breaths. If you heave like that, I'll cut you where I don't want to."

"Then stop cutting." Mia growled.

"Oh, I can't do that. I'm not finished yet." He made another horizontal line, carving a 'J' on her chest. He drew a couple more lines and pulled away. He ran his tongue over the cuts. "Z. J. K. Zolf J. Kimblee. The one target you couldn't kill…This way, you'll be sure to remember me." He put his hand against the transmutation circle, removing the hand from around Mia's wrists. Mia clattered to the floor, pressing a hand to her chest. "It was nice meeting you, Mia." Kimblee said, putting his mask back on. "I hope we meet again."

Kimblee slipped the knife up his sleeve and left, leaving Mia on the ground, bloody, half naked and flustered.

* * *

Look! I finally figured out how to make a line! 8D

Inspiration by art from the real Mia: .com/gallery/#/d38cz6h and .com/gallery/#/d38f2id


End file.
